on setting a new Premier League record…
That is the best response to something that has been questioned sometimes this season. I believe that shows we have quality, we have spirit, which I have never questioned. It was a relentless effort again tonight from the first to the last minute. The tempo was absolutely top level tonight. We kept going until the last second and just managed to win the game.
Certainly the fact we have done it before helped us. Even when we were 1-0 down we just kept going and we feel now at the moment in the team we just have that complete and total commitment to do as well as we can and give absolutely everything. That gets the crowd behind the team and you saw a very entertaining game tonight against a very good Newcastle side.
on Van Persie's altercation with Krul…
I don't know, is it history from Holland? Is it just today's story? I don't know, they both looked a bit nervous. I have not spoken to Robin yet. I will find out but I am happy it stayed yellow and did not become red. He is absolutely committed and he gave everything again tonight. He got us a quick equaliser. But the whole team played very well and Walcott also had an exceptional performance tonight.
on the potential to overtake Tottenham…
We played recently against Tottenham, Liverpool, Newcastle and Sunderland who are all very difficult to beat and we won all of these games. We know every time it was very tight and we won in the last minute in three of them. There is definitely complete commitment in every single game. Where we finish is down to how we keep going and if we put that same amount of effort into every single game.
on whether Tottenham will be concerned…
I don't know, I don't focus on Tottenham. I feel what is at stake for us is our commitment and that's all we want to do.
on cutting the gap to one point…
I don't compare us to any other team, I just think we have rebuilt confidence and belief and that will be vital in the race until the end. It can change very quickly because as soon as you lose a little bit of urgency you are in trouble in this league. So let's focus on keeping that and after we will see when we finish.
on the importance of third place…
At the moment I maintain that because we have gone through some difficult periods and it's very important that we keep our feet on the ground, keep our complete focus and give absolutely everything until the end. We have done that recently because we produced a great game tonight, we produced a great game against Milan and we produced a great game against Tottenham. That has to be our real target.
on frustrations at missing out on the title…
If you look at our run from the Chelsea win until January you will see that our run was quite positive. But we had four full backs out in January and it is something that can work one game but it cannot work for five or six games. For that I believe we were punished but the quality was always there. Today we have 52 points with ten games to go and we have gone through a difficult period in January but recently we have won the games in the last minute whereas we lost the games in the last minute against Fulham and Manchester United.
on the atmosphere in the dressing room…
The atmosphere is great within the squad, and tonight it was exceptional in the dressing room because the pleasure is even more intense when you win in the final minute of the game where you have given everything. And the disappointment is intense when you have lost in the last minute of a game.
on the team refusing to lose…
That is fantastic. It shows that as much as two defeats are quicksand, the positive recent history of a team has a very positive influence and the positive vibes make everyone stronger.
on players coming back from injury…
Diaby is not far [away], Santos I think will play on Wednesday night in the Reserves against West Brom. He will need 90 minutes. Diaby should be back for Everton, he has a little chance. Jack [Wilshere] is less imminent.
on Theo Walcott's form…
I think that he is so long in the spotlight that people forget that he is 22 years old and getting now to an age where you perform. It is as simple as that. He develops well because he is intelligent. Tactically, technically tonight he had a complete game.
Source: Arsenal.com on 12 Mar 12
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